Flight schedule disruption awareness systems and methods

Abstract

A flight schedule disruption awareness system is configured to provide situational awareness of flight disruptions that affect a flight schedule for one or more flights. The flight schedule disruption awareness system includes a disruption determination control unit that is configured to receive a plurality of flight schedule update inputs related to flight schedule updates to the flight schedule. The disruption determination control unit determines one or more flight disruptions from the plurality of flight schedule update inputs. A display is operatively coupled to the disruption determination control unit. The disruption determination control unit shows delays caused by the flight disruption(s) on the display.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0001]Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for improving situational awareness of flight operations disruptions that affect a flight schedule, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for determining and displaying integrated flight operations disruptions.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]Aircraft are used to transport passengers between various locations. Numerous aircraft depart from and arrive at a typical airport every day.[0003]An integrated set of flight operations schedules sets departure times and arrival times for flights between airports. For various reasons, however, the flight operations schedules may need to be revised, due to disruptions that affect arrival and / or departure times for aircraft. For example, incoming and departing flights may be delayed due to inclement weather. As another example, a flight may be delayed due to a crew delay, such as may be caused by a scheduled flight crew for one par...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]A need exists for a system and method of improving situational awareness of flight disruptions (for example, flight operations schedule disruptions). Further, a need exists for a system and method of identifying multiple elements that may impact or cause flight disruptions in order to allow for quick and efficient decisions by operations staff.

Problems solved by technology

For various reasons, however, the flight operations schedules may need to be revised, due to disruptions that affect arrival and / or departure times for aircraft.

For example, incoming and departing flights may be delayed due to inclement weather.

As another example, a flight may be delayed due to a crew delay, such as may be caused by a scheduled flight crew for one particular flight being delayed on a leg of a previous flight.

As another example, a departing flight may be delayed due to maintenance issues.

Various delays may or may not cause a flight disruption.

A flight operation delay is disruptive if it affects a scheduled arrival or departure time for one or more flights in excess of a disruption threshold limit.

As an example, a crew delay of an hour may cause a flight disruption in that it delays a scheduled departure of a flight by a particular amount of time (such as a flight delay of half an hour) that is beyond the disruption threshold limit (such as twelve minutes).

As can be appreciated, such complex disruption assessments may not be able to be conducted within a reasonable time to implement sufficient recovery action.

That is, the analysis is typically labor intensive, and may take up a relatively long period of time, thereby reducing a possibility for an alternate plan that could otherwise alleviate the disruption.

There may be limited time available to implement a recovery action, and there may be multiple delays to be analyzed separately and / or together.

Moreover, delays frequently occur through operational delays, so by the time a determination is made, another delay may have occurred that negates the original analysis.

In short, delays cannot be analyzed in isolation.

Rather, the set of all active delays are continually analyzed by one or more individuals at a flight operations center, thereby yielding a complex, complicated, and time- and labor-intensive process.

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